Learn to smile
by Star the Cat
Summary: Hong Kong finds the small personification of Beijing on the streets one night, and takes her home. She is both Timid and traumatized, but Hong Kong is determined to get her past that and see her true smile.
1. Chapter 1

It was a very cold night when I saw her. The young little city was shivering on the streets of Beijing, and she couldn't help but cry as she looked up at me. I loomed over the child, picking her up ever so gently.

"Who are you? 請問點稱呼?"

"…I am a city named B-beijing…" she cried ever so softly. I looked at her with my usual dull and expressionless eyes. Why was it that whenever I saw a child, I wanted it to smile? In most cases, they did. Maybe it was to assure me that they didn't go through what I went through. It wasn't clear, really, I just wanted them to. To show me a sign of happiness in a true smile, and not tears, like…when I had to leave Aniki…

"Hey…listen…" I whispered. Beijing looked up, a bit confused.

"Do you have a family?"

"N-no…I just sort of…appeared, a year ago…" she replied. It was the faintest reply. I could tell she hadn't eaten in days. Who knows when her last meal was?

"…You need someplace to stay, huh…" I muttered. Beijing only looked ashamed, until I started to carry her home.

"My name is Hong Kong. Or if you'd like, you can call me your dong xi…" I explained to her in a soft tone. "ask me if you have any questions, alright?"

"O-okay…actually, I have one…" she stuttered, timidly. I didn't stop, and waited for her question.

"你帶我去邊?(where are you taking me?)" she said in a slightly sloppy Cantonese pronunciation. I smiled a small smile at the shyness of her voice.

"I'm taking you to your new home…"


	2. Do you like it here?

"DONG XI!"  
>I had told Beijing to go to bed an hour ago. this was the third time she had woken up, tonight. Apparently, the poor thing was afraid of everything. Sleeping on the streets left such an impression on her. I carefully procceded up the steps, since this was China's house, and it was pretty old, but sturdy.<p>

I found a shivering lump in the futon matress next to mine. Beijing was peeking out of her matress with her very light violet eyes from time to time, unable to keep both her and her heart still. I carefully picked her up.

"There's no use putting you to sleep, huh?"  
>She gently shook her head no as I took her downstairs. Even if I've never really gave up on most things children and Adults do, I knew when to give up. she would fall asleep eventually.<p>

"...Beijing, do you like it here?"

"It's very lovely...I like China very much...both your brother and the country!" she smiled. fake smile. I brushed her hair slightly with my fingers. She looked up at me as she held onto me.

"...But I really do like it here with you. It was scary in the streets, dong xi..." she had told me once again. Beijing hated her city, really. It seemed indecent, with her being home to many sex shops and shootings. However, past that, on a good night, she'd think it had a wonderful scenery. It was a bit ironic, really. You either thought your country was beautiful or it wasn't. In which, most countries were proud. I guess cities had a different way of thinking. They were lucky, really, very few were involved in war, and not many were chosen to fight battles in. however, they could get ill (lose their economy) easily. They were like a little child that could either grow up to be like Rome and Germania, or just go downhill from the start, like a few namable cities.

I would know, I guess. I'm practically a city, too. China was still taking care of both of us, but I was mostly Beijing's big brother. To tell the truth, she admired China, but didn't exactly...well...respect him. Being China's capitol, however, she had to learn Mandarin instead of Cantonese, and picked up a few words to call England. She looked up at him as a mother, but respected him as if he was England. which, was really poorly. So, he kind of gave up on discipline and gave her to me for that. I scolded her and such, but I've never hit her. She would take most scoldings well, and she didn't mind the corner. It was corporal punishment and being abused that worried her. China had done Corporal punishment once with Japan, and I guess he told her the story.

Despite that, she never really got scolded, unless she was disrespecting China. You couldn't blame her, she didn't know much better. either that, or she thought China could be England.

I felt something tug at my sleeve, gently. Beijing had finally fallen asleep in my lap after hours of watching T.V., and I guess she was having a sort of dream. I looked at the time and saw it was about 2:00 AM. China would freak out if he still saw me up. I carefully picked her up, hurrying upstairs. I slid her in her futon matress and got in mine, quickly falling asleep.

* * *

><p><em>"Beijing is mine, and you know it, da? Or would you like to repeat the bombings?"<em>

_"Baka! There's no way. She doesn't belong to you. Now leave."_

_"...I wish it hadn't come to this, da?"_


End file.
